Affection
by iflip4dolphins
Summary: Isaac and Kate talk the day before graduation. Isaac/Rhythmi


_Disclaimer: Ha! No. _

_A/N: Well, yet another challenge for _Pokemon Ranger: SoA Discussions _because I like the forum and I liked the challenge. This one is a round-out-the-character challenge, with the character in question being Isaac. I hope I did a good job with this one. Lots of fluff and onesided Isaac/Rhythmi. I hope that the review button gets pressed a lot! _

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Isaac was in the library, as per usual, with books stacked neatly around him. Unlike normal, he wasn't reading or attempting to figure out a complex math or science problem. He had instead picked a beanbag chair next to the window to sit in, and stared out the window out onto the grassy outdoors. Outside, other students of the Ranger School talked and practiced. The teachers were – as far as he knew – in the staff room, discussing the monumental event that would take place the next day.

He sighed, and the fourteen year olds' breath fogged up a small patch of window. He would miss this place, he realized with a start. Not the library, though it was the place he spent the most of his time, not the classrooms, not the dorms, not even Ascension Square, but the people. He was, after all, going into a completely different field than the rest of them. Kate, Keith, and Kellyn, three people he hadn't counted on being friends with until Kate had come over and told him that there was no was she was going to let him waste away inside the library on a perfect day like this and dragged him out and introduced him to the other two. That was also the day he'd met Rhythmi, after the Operator hopeful raced outside, begging Kate to help her find her bracelet. He still remembered what she looked like on that day.

Her face was pink and her wavy blonde hair had come loose of its restraints, wisps of it flying in her face. Her uniform, normally pristine, he later learned, was rumpled, her tie had moved to rest over one shoulder, and her top two blouse buttons had come undone. She had been searching for her bracelet under the bed and had gone to the lost and found. She had even gone to the teachers to ask if they'd seen it. As it turned out, Kate had taken the bracelet to get her to come outside, so it was returned as long as Rhythmi promised to stay outside. The girl had agreed, and they'd played a game of tag until the bell rang.

That had been three years ago, and that had been the day where Isaac had found himself thinking that Rhythmi was cute. Now they were teens, officially, fourteen years old each. They'd all grown, Isaac putting on at least four inches since he'd been eleven, Keith and Kellyn adding about five, and both girls adding noticeable curves. To everyone's surprise, Rhythmi was taller than Kate, through only by about half an inch. Cute was no longer the word, he thought as he watched Rhythmi discussing something animatedly to a fellow female student whose name he had either forgotten or never bothered to learn. No, the word now was –

Kate's face popped up in the window, causing Isaac to blink and yank his head back a moment. He blushed; his face had nearly been pressing against the glass and he was embarrassed to be caught staring. Kate smirked, jerked her head back towards Rhythmi as if to say, "Caught you!" and vanished again. Isaac stared at a bookshelf until his cheeks calmed down. Leave it to Kate to interrupt his thoughts.

The door to the library squeaked open – it'd been broken for at least two months and had yet to be fixed, to the annoyance of Isaac and the irritation of Keith, who complained daily about never being able to nap anymore, to which Isaac replied with a swift, simple, book smack to the head – and Kate walked in. Isaac blinked, Kate grinned, and the next thing the genius knew, Kate was dragging a second beanbag chair over and plopping down in front of him.

"So," she started, grinning, "Tomorrow we graduate."

"Yes," Isaac agreed. "Do you know where you'll be stationed?"

"Vientown," Kate replied promptly. "I'm just happy it's close to Chicole Village." Seeing Isaac's confused look, she added, "That's where my family lives now."

Isaac could think of nothing to say but, "Ah."

"You're awfully quiet," Kate observed. "Something happen?"

Isaac shook his head. "No, nothing happened, but –" He cut himself off.

"What?" Kate asked when it was clear Isaac wasn't going to talk. He sighed.

"I'm going to miss this place." He turned his head away to look out of the window. Rhythmi was still there, though now she was talking to Kellyn. Isaac felt a surge of an emotion he couldn't identify, but he knew it didn't feel good. He felt Kate's eyes on him and prepared himself for the inevitable question.

"Me too," Kate said, finally. "I mean, you're going to work for Altru Inc., Kellyn's going to be stationed in a desert somewhere – Haruba, I think it's called – and Keith and Rhythmi are both going to be in Fiore for a while." She sighed. "Not cool at all."

"Deserts are typically over 100 degrees during the day," Isaac felt compelled to add. "At night their temperatures can drop below freezing."

"Uh…. Yeah." Kate shot him a look. "That's not the point, Bookworm."

"Perhaps not." Isaac's eyes, which he had set on Kate so as not to appear rude, had drifted back towards the window again. This time, Kate commented on it.

"There's got to be something really interesting outside that window," she said. "You keep on looking over."

"What? I do not," Isaac protested, trying to head her off. "Why would I look over there when I'm talking to you?"

"That was my question; don't repeat it back to me," Kate retorted swiftly. "Besides, I think I know the answer."

Isaac's heart sank when the mischievous twinkle and Cheshire grin appeared on Kate's face. It was never a pleasant experience to be the target of that, because it meant that Kate either knew something or had an idea, and that was dangerous. "It begins with an 'R' and ends with an 'I'." Isaac felt his cheeks heat up.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he protested, but he already knew it was too late.

"Yes, you do," Kate said cheerfully. "Rhythmi."

With a groan, Isaac let his head fall into his hands. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"Not really," Kate replied, "Except to me and Keith and Kellyn and… I think that's about it. I don't think anyone else really hangs out enough with you too – oh! That's right! I nearly forgot Ponte!"

Well, that did it. If even Ponte could tell, then Isaac was officially dead. "I'm dead," he stated, lifting his head out of his hands. "So very, very dead."

Kate rolled her eyes. "You won't be seeing her for a while, so what's the problem? Besides, it's not as if she knows."

"She doesn't?"

Kate snorted. "Rhythmi? Nope. She's completely oblivious to anyone's opinions concerning herself and you know it."

"True," Isaac admitted. "Thanks, Kate. I think I may have needed to get this off my chest."

"No worries," Kate replied. There was a moment of silence before Kate disrupted it with, "I hear you're valedictorian. Going to make a nice, short, good speech?"

Isaac smiled slightly. "It'll be short. I don't know about good."

Kate waved her hand dismissively. "If it's short, it's good." This statement brought a true genuine smile to Isaac's face. That was Kate, impatient and unable to stand still for a period of less than a minute.

"You're class representative, right?" Isaac asked. Kate nodded an affirmation.

"Yeah, but it's not like I do anything. Ms. April talked to me already. I just go up there and take a certificate. It doesn't sound that interesting, to be honest."

"It's not supposed to be interesting. It's supposed to be an honor."

"I know." Kate looked at Isaac and grinned. "You know, even though I'll miss you guys, it'll be great to be a full-fledged Ranger."

Isaac smiled back. "You'll finally be able to officially partner up with Pachirisu." The little electric squirrel had gotten into the habit of coming by the School and sneaking onto the grounds. Once it had snuck into the library and jumped onto the bookshelves. That had been an interesting day.

Kate stood. "Well, I'm going to go inform Keith that he's a moron. Stay inside and watch your love from behind glass."

"She's not my love!"

"Object of affection, then." Kate grinned, waved her hand at him, and left, tossing a, "See you tomorrow!" over her shoulder.

"See you," Isaac repeated after the door had creaked shut. The boy genius turned to look out the window again. Yes, he thought as he watched Keith race across the window, followed by Kellyn and Rhythmi, who was nearly doubled up with laughter, he was going to miss this place.


End file.
